Rug cleaner attachment



Feb. 27, 1968 c, H. M FARLAND ETAL 3,370,315

RUG CLEANER ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 4, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS CHAR/.155 H/hcMRLM D ALMA/mm A. PAPP BY w w7f ATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1968 Filed Jan. 4, 1965 C. H.. M FARLAND ETAL RUG CLEANER ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR N EYS V C. H. M FARLAND ETAL Feb. 27, 1968 RUG CLEANER ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed Jan.

INVENTORS CHARLES/iWc/"HRL/FND ALEXANDER A. PAPP m w am ATTORNEYS United States Patent ()fifice 3,37%,315 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 3,370,315 RUG CLEANER ATTACHMENT Charles H. MacFarland, Rocky River, and Alexander A. Papp, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The Scott 8; Fetzer Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 423,180

2 Claims. (Cl. 15320) This invention relates to rug cleaner attachments for vacuum cleaners. More particularly, this invention relates to a rug cleaning attachment which has a suds confining chamber and a scrubbing brush mounted therein for rotation about a horizontal axis within the chamber. In one specific aspect the invention relates to a rug cleaning attachment for use with a vacuum cleaner of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum housing for attaching a vacuum nozzle, and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside of the fan casing which may normally receive the driving belt of the rotary brush in the vacuum nozzle.

It has long been known that effective suction or vacuum cleaning of a rug may be accomplished by a vacuum nozzle having a brush mounted on a horizontal axis so that the brush picks the dirt out of the carpet pile and this dirt is removed by the suction. Cleaning devices which are intended to shampoo or wet-clean a rug, however, are customarily provided with one or more brushes that are mounted for rotation about vertical axes. A suitable rug cleaning solution is foamed onto the rug in the vicinity of the brushes and is worked into the rug by the brushes. The bristles of these brushes scrub the rug in an orbital manner and, consequently, the dirt is driven downwardly into the pile of the rug. Thus, the rug appears to be clean, since the dirt has been removed from the upper ends of the filaments of the rug, but, in fact, the dirt has been driven downwardly into the pile. Rug cleaning brushes which are mounted for rotation about vertical axes, moreover, tend to twist the filaments of the rug and also tend to concentrate the nap into small tufts or balls.

Attempts have been made to overcome the deficiencies of the previously described rug cleaners by mounting the cleaning brush for rotation about a horizontal axis. The success of these attempts was limited, since the cleaning suds were not initially confined to the zone of contact between the brush and the rug, and effective means were not provided for the removal of the spent or soiled suds.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rug cleaning attachment for a vacuum cleaner which overcomes many of the prior art problems.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide a rug cleaning attachment for a vacuum cleaner which has a suds confining chamber and a brush mounted therein for rotation about its horizontal axis and which may be readily and conveniently, operatively engaged and disengaged from the vacuum cleaner without special tools or skills.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rug cleaning attachment for a vacuum cleaner which collects any nap which may be removed from the rug and which discharges so-iied and spent rug cleaning suds into a conveniently accessible chamber.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner embodying an attachment according to this invention, with portions broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the attachment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the suds generating portion of the attachment, with portions broken away for clarity.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention is shown in combination with a vacuum cleaner ll of conventional construction. The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a fan casing 11 carried by a mounting bracket 12 on a wheeled carriage 13. The fan casing 11 is provided with a tangential outlet 14 which is usually connected to a suitable dust collector such as a filter bag, but which, according to the present invention, is attached to a conduit 15. The fan casing 11 has a centrally disposed inlet opening 16 in its front face and the opening 16 is normally surrounded by the tubular conduit of a vacuum nozzle which is normally provided on such a casing. According to the present invention, however, the opening 16 is engaged by a brush housing 17. The housing 17 includes a tubular, rearwardly extending attaching portion 18 that is adapted to surround the inlet opening 16.

The mounting bracket 12 is provided on its front face with lugs 19 which support a horizontal rod 26 a short distance below the inlet opening 16 of the fan casing. The attaching portion 18 of the housing has laterally spaced, downwardly extending lugs 21 provide on their undersides with recesses 22, which cooperate with the rod 26. On the upper edge of the attaching portion 18, an upwardly projecting flange 23 is provided. The flange 23 is engaged by a locking cam 24 which is rotatably mounted on the fan casing and is provided with a projecting handle 25 so that it may be quickly and easily turned to or from a locking position.

The housing 17 further includes a forwardly and downwardly directed brush housing portion 26. The housing 26 is provided with a horizontal front opening 27 and downwardly extending ends 28. Each end 28 is provided with a horizontal notch 29 and the ends 28 engage the outer sides of a suds confining and distributing portion 30. The portion 30 is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending sides 31 which support a brush 32 for rotation about the horizontal axis of the brush. The brush 32 includes an axially extending mounting rod 33 which is mounted in suitable bearings (not shown) and extends through the sides 31 and is received in each notch 29. Screws 33a are provided at the ends of the rod 33 and the screws 33a detachably connect the brush, the portions 28, and the sides 31.

The brush 32 is driven in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, by a belt 34, which is twisted to provide an upper loop which engages a pulley portion 35 of a shaft 36. The shaft 36 is driven by a fan motor (not shown) within the casing 11. The belt 34 has a lower loop which extends around a central pulley portion 37 of the brush 32.

A rotatable closure member 38 is positioned in the front wall of the housing 17 and has an arm 39 which extends into the interior of the housing 17 to function as a belt lifter to remove or apply the belt 34 to the shaft 36. When the member 38 is rotated by gripping a handle 40, the arm 39 engages a portion of the belt 34 and further rotation of the member 38 lifts the belt from its shaft 36 to disengage the belt therefrom.

The suds distributing and collecting portion 30 includes a front wall 42, side walls 43, a bottom wall 44, a wall which is inclined upwardly from the bottom wall 44, and a wall 46 which extends downwardly from the wall 45. The wall 45 has a central opening 47 which is connected to a flexible conduit 43 by means of an elbow fitting 49.

In a manner which will hereinafter become apparent, cleaning suds are delivered through the conduit 48 and into a suds distributing chamber 59, which chamber is defined by the inclined wall 45, the wall 46, and the walls 43. The suds are confined in the chamber 50 and, upon forward movement of the vacuum cleaner, are permitted to flow under the wall 46 in an even layer across the width of the portion 30. This even layer of suds is worked into the rug by the brush 32 and the suds are picked up by the brush 32. The wall 46 also prevents the suds from contacting the pulley portion 37 of the brush 32, since excessive suds on this portion of the brush may cause the belt 34 to slip.

Some nap may be removed from the rug with the spent suds, and this nap is thrown by the centrifugal force of the brush against a backplate 51. The backplate 51 is hinged to and extends between the rearwardly extending walls 31. As is shown in phantom outline in FIG. 2, the backplate 51 may be swung upwardly for cleaning the nap therefrom. The soiled suds are carried by the brush to the juncture between the walls 45 and 46. The upper portion of the wall 45 is provided with a doctor blade 52 which engages the brush 32 to remove the soiled suds from the brush. The suds flow by gravity down the wall 45 and are collected in an open chamber which is defined by the front wall 42, the side walls 43, and the wall 45. It may be seen that the soiled suds may be easily removed from the chamber 53 without dismantling or removing any portions of the device.

The front wall 42 and the side walls 43 are covered by a bumper 54 which has an upper hooked portion 55 that extends over the tops of these walls and also has a lower hooked portion 56 which is received in a slot 57 within the walls. The bumper 54 is also provided with 21 depending lip portion 58 which serves to confine the suds in the chamber 50. Thus, when the vacuum cleaner is pulled backwardly, excessive suds are not distributed on the rug.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a suds generating container 60 is illustrated. The container 60 is provided with a filling cap 61 which may be removed for pouring a suitable liquid rug cleaner into the container 60. The exhaust outlet of the housing 11 is connected to an opening 62 in the container 60. The outlet 15 is received within an annular flange 63 which surrounds the opening 62 and is retained therein by a conventional bayonettype connection. An inlet filter 64 is provided across the opening 62 to insure that dirt particles do not enter the container 60.

The exhaust from the vacuum cleaner 10 places a moderate positive pressure on the surface of the cleaning liquid in the container 60 and forces some of this liquid upwardly through a discharge tube 65 and out through a discharge nozzle 66. The discharge nozzle 66 is centrally disposed with respect to a constricted forward portion 67 of an air passage 68. The air which is forced into the container flows out through the air passage 68 between the portion 67 and the nozzle 66 to thereby foam the liquid that is discharged from the nozzle 66. To ensure that the liquid and air are converted to a foam, a screen 69 extends across the outlet of the container 60. The foamed cleaning solution is forced through the conduit 48 and into the chamber 50, as was previously indicated.

To ensure that the foam will not be sucked into the fan casing 11, the housing 17 is provided with openings 70 so that air will be drawn through these slots rather than through the suds at the bottom of the housing 17.

The scope of the invention is not limited to the slavish imitation of all of the structural and operative details mentioned above. These have been given merely by way of an example of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rug cleaning device, a power driven brush mounted for rotation in a forward-downward and rearwary-upward direction around a horizontal axis, a suds confining and distributing chamber mounted ahead of said brush, said chamber including means for leveling and spreading suds confined therein so that an even layer of suds is laid on the rug ahead of the brush for substantially the entire length of the brush, means for generating suds and for delivering the generated suds to the suds confining and distributing chamber, a receptacle for dirty suds mounted ahead of said brush, doctoring means between said brush and said receptacle for removing from the brush the suds that it has picked up, whereby as said rug cleaning device is advanced suds that have been laid down by said suds confining and distributing chamber are used by the brush to clean the rug, and each increment of suds that is picked up by the brush in the course of such cleaning is'carried partly around the brush and removed by the doctoring means prior to the completion of a single turn of the brush.

2 In a vacuum cleaner having a fancasing with inlet and outlet openings, a fan shaft extending through said inlet opening, the improvement which comprises an accessory for cleaning rugs, said accessory comprising a cylindrical brush housing, a brush driven by said fan shaft, means for mounting said brush in said housing for rotation about its horizontal axis, a suds disributing and collecting housing mounted on said brush housing, the suds distributing and collecting housing including a first chamber having an open bottom defined by side wall means for distributing suds on the rug so that the suds will be scrubbed into the rug and then picked up by said brush and including a second chamber above said first chamber having an open top for collecting the suds that are picked up by the brush, means for generating suds, means to deliver the generated suds to said first chamber, said first chamber having downwardly extending wall means between the suds delivery means and the brush for leveling and spreading suds in said first chamher so that an even layer of suds is laid on the rug ahead of said brush for substantially the entire lentgh of the brush, and means engaging said brush for removing suds from the brush and delivering the suds to said second chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,293,722 8/1942 Erickson 1550 X 2,333,829 11/1943 Terry 15-320 1,214,513 2/1917 Crapser 15-.50 1,268,963 6/1918 Gray 1550 X 1,642,440 9/1927 Hoe et a1 15328 FOREIGN PATENTS 629,005 9/1949 Great Britain.

W, MICHELL, Primary Examiner,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,370,315 February 27, 1968 Charles H. MacFarland et a1.

It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 9, "wary-upward" should read ward-upward line 31 "cylindrical brush housing, a brush driven" should read brush housing, a brush cylindrical driven line 47, "lentgh" should read length Signed and sealed this 19th day of August 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. IN A RUG CLEANING DEVICE, A POWER DRIVEN BRUSH MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN A FORWARD-DOWNWARD AND REARWARY-UPWARD DIRECTION AROUND A HORIZONTAL AXIS, A SUDS CONFINING AND DISTRIBUTING CHAMBER MOUNTED AHEAD OF SAID BRUSH, SAID CHAMBER INCLUDING MEANS FOR LEVELING AND SPREADING SUDS CONFINED THEREIN SO THAT AN EVEN LAYER OF SUDS IS LAID ON THE RUG AHEAD OF TH BRUSH FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE BRUSH, MEANS FOR GENERATING SUDS AND FOR DELIVERING THE GENERATED SUDS TO THE SUDS CONFINING AND DISTRIBUTING CHAMBER, A RECEPTACLE FOR DIRTY SUDS MOUNTED AHEAD OF SAID BRUSH, DOCTORING MEANS BETWEEN SAID BRUSH AND SAID RECEPTACLE FOR REMOVING FROM THE BRUSH THE SUDS THAT IT HAS PICKED UP, WHEREBY AS SAID RUG CLEANING DEVICE IS ADVANCED SUDS THAT HAVE BEEN LAID DOWN BY SAID SUDS CONFINING AND DISTRIBUTING CHAMBER ARE USED BY THE BRUSH TO CLEAN THE RUG, AND EACH INCREMENT OF SUDS THAT IS PICKED UP BY THE BRUSH IN THE COURSE OF SUCH CLEANING IS CARRIED PARTLY AROUND THE BRUSH AND REMOVED BY THE DOCTORING MEANS PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF A SINGLE TURN OF THE BRUSH. 